Moderate Drinking Can Prevent Diabetes

Published Online: Wednesday, May 1, 2002

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Drinking approximately 2 alcoholic beverages per day can prevent healthy postmenopausal women from developing diabetes, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A total of 63 postmenopausal women were randomized to 0, 15, or 30 g/day of alcohol for 8 weeks. The women also followed a controlled diet to maintain their body weight. Compared with women who did not consume

alcohol, women who drank 30 g/day of alcohol had a 19.2% reduction in fasting insulin concentration, a 10.3% reduction in fasting triglyceride concentration, and a 7.2% increase in insulin sensitivity; all of these changes were significant. The effect of alcohol was found in normal-weight, overweight, and obese women. Only fasting triglyceride concentration was improved among women drinking 15 g/day.